Dates

• Existence: 1903 - 1995

Biography

Rose Kerrigan, née Klasko (1903-1995), was a Communist activist. Born in Dublin to Jewish parents, she later moved with her family to Glasgow where she was heavily influenced as a young woman by her attendance at the Sunday Socialist School. She attended the rent strikes of 1915 alongside Mary Barbour, as well as the January 1919 George Square March for the 40-hour week. She also became a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). She married Peter Kerrigan, a CPGB industrial organiser in 1926, and the couple spent some time in the Soviet Union in 1935 to facilitate Peter's work for Communist International. The couple moved to London in 1939 where Rose worked with Prudential Insurance, and was instrumental in organising a women's branch of the union. She was also active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in later years. A short film of her life was produced in 1996, entitled 'A Red Rose.' [Source: Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women, 2006]

Found in 1 Collection or Record: